These tahini cookies with almonds are buttery and crumbly, with a rich sesame flavor in every bite. Each cookie gets a whole almond pressed into the top before baking, so they look as good as they taste.
The dough comes together in one bowl, and you mix it with your hands, so there’s no need for a mixer. Serve these tahini cookies with almonds with a cup of tea or coffee. If you love baking with nuts, also try my apple charlotte cake with cinnamon and almonds.
Why You’ll Love These Tahini Cookies with Almonds
- Simple ingredients: flour, baking powder, tahini, sugar, butter, and almonds.
- No mixer needed: everything is mixed by hand in one bowl.
- Bold sesame flavor: a full cup of tahini gives the cookies a deep, nutty taste.
- Crumbly texture: they’re tender and melt-in-your-mouth, like a shortbread cookie.
Ingredients and Notes
- All-purpose flour: gives the cookies their structure and holds the buttery dough together.
- Baking powder: adds a little lift so the cookies bake up light rather than dense.
- Tahini: the main flavor. Use plain sesame paste, not prepared tahini sauce, which contains lemon juice, garlic, or water. Natural tahini separates in the jar, so stir it thoroughly before measuring.
- Granulated sugar: sweetens the cookies and helps the bottoms turn golden.
- Unsalted butter: adds richness and makes the cookies tender. It should be softened, not melted. Melted butter makes the dough greasy and harder to shape.
- Whole almonds: one per cookie for topping. Ready-blanched almonds let you skip the peeling step.
A note on measuring: This recipe uses 240 ml measuring cups. The gram equivalents are approximate, so if you bake with a scale, use the listed weights.
How to Make Tahini Cookies with Almonds
- Prep the oven and pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the dough. Put the flour, baking powder, tahini, sugar, and softened butter in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until you have a soft, uniform dough. It should feel slightly oily and hold together when you shape it. If it’s too crumbly, mix in an extra tablespoon of tahini.
- Peel the almonds (if needed). If your almonds have skins, cover them with boiling water and leave them for 5 minutes. Drain, let them cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, and pat dry. Skip this step if you’re using ready-blanched almonds.
- Shape the cookies. Divide the dough into 35–40 portions and roll each one into a walnut-sized ball. Space them out on the prepared baking sheets, then gently press one almond into the center of each ball.
- Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes per batch, until the bottoms are golden and the tops are lightly colored. Don’t overbake them; the cookies firm up as they cool. If all your baking sheets don’t fit in the oven at once, bake in batches.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before moving them. They’re very fragile while warm.
Tips for the Best Tahini Cookies with Almonds
- Stir the tahini well. The oil separates in the jar. Mix it back in before measuring so the dough has the right consistency.
- Fix crumbly dough. If the dough won’t hold together when you shape it, add 1 tablespoon of tahini and mix again.
- Press the almonds in gently. Don’t push them too deep, or the soft cookies can crack.
- Don’t overbake. Take the cookies out when the bottoms are golden and the tops are only lightly colored. They’ll feel soft but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool them on the baking sheet. Leave the cookies on the sheet until they’re completely cool. Moving them while warm can break them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tahini?
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds (learn more about tahini). For this recipe, use plain tahini, not tahini sauce or dressing.
Do I need a mixer?
No. The dough is mixed by hand in one bowl.
Can I use already-blanched almonds?
Yes. Ready-blanched almonds work well and let you skip the boiling and peeling step.
Why are the cookies soft when they come out of the oven?
That’s normal. Tahini cookies with almonds are soft and fragile while hot and firm up as they cool.
Why do I need to cool them on the baking sheet?
Warm cookies are very fragile and can crumble if you move them too soon. Letting them cool completely on the sheet keeps them in one piece.
Tahini Cookies with Almonds
Buttery, crumbly tahini cookies with a rich sesame flavor and a whole almond topping. An easy one-bowl cookie recipe made without a mixer.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the flour, baking powder, tahini, sugar, and softened butter in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until a soft, uniform dough forms. It should feel slightly oily and hold together when shaped. If it is too crumbly, mix in an extra tablespoon of tahini.
- If using skin-on almonds, cover them with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Drain, let cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, and pat dry. Skip this step for ready-blanched almonds.
- Divide the dough into 35–40 portions and roll into walnut-sized balls. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets with space between them. Gently press one almond into the center of each ball.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the tops are lightly colored. Do not overbake: the cookies will firm up as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before moving them. They are very fragile while warm.
Notes
- Use plain sesame tahini, not tahini sauce.
- Stir the tahini before measuring.
- Use softened butter, not melted butter.
- You need one whole almond per cookie.
- Measuring cups are 240 ml. Gram equivalents are approximate; use the listed weights when measuring with a scale.
- Bake time is per batch. If your baking sheets don’t fit in the oven at the same time, bake in batches. The total time assumes two batches baked one after another and does not include cooling.